Looks like the Pre-Order people for Alea Iacta Est got the playable version today from AGEOD. Full release on the 22nd. This is Roman civil wars in the Wars In America system, appropriately updated of course.

There's no materials safety sheet for astatine. If there were, it would just be the word "NO", scrawled over and over again in charred blood. - Randall Munroe

Looks like the Pre-Order people for Alea Iacta Est got the playable version today from AGEOD. Full release on the 22nd. This is Roman civil wars in the Wars In America system, appropriately updated of course.

I going to wait for some more info on that. PON kind of killed my love for AGEOD games and I am still not sure it has grown back yet.

But Roman civil wars? When's the last good game based on those we've seen?

Hey gang. Just poking my head in here to say hey. Been off the strategy wargame sauce for a little while for boardgames, but Swampy and I continue to grind out our Combat Mission campaign. Third battle in now and it's a big 'un. An hour and 45 minutes.

I'm booting up a blog, and it's very much a work in progress. But one thing I'll be posting there are my AARs from each turn. Check it out and feel free to let me know your thoughts on the layout, and or my tactics.

Hisperambulations.blogspot.com

*Legion* wrote:

He doesn't wonder, he wanders. Although he might wonder when wandering. But not enough to make it his name. Wandering is a primary skill.

AJE has some rules changes from previous systems, although it's basically similar. While I'm not sure I'm remembering correctly what was in one game and not in another, here are a few things that struck me as interesting in the system.

Units can now be assigned an "intercept enemy force" task instead of direct movement. This lets them *attempt* to intercept a moving force. If it fails, the unit ceases movement at some point (not necessarily in it's starting region).

Weather affects a large number of factors - movement, combat, supply, etc. and structures provide shelter from it. I think this is similar to WIA. Weather is based on regions (groups of areas), and takes the seasons into account. And they've added special weather events called "Alea", which are localized floods, heavy storms and the like which show up as map icons affecting particular locations.

Every unit forages well, not just the lighter ones. Supply does not accumulate over time; what's produced in a region and is carried with the troops (2 months, 2 large battles is inherent; supply wagons can be created and hauled along, with the delightful name of "Impedimenta") is what you have available. Impedimenta *can* accumulate supplies, and provide protection against bad weather, and additional ammo in battles, at an extra cost in supply usage that turn of course. And if you are very fond of logistics, you can choose a "Hardened Attrition" optional rule, in which all units not in structures degrade every turn. Grognardalicious!

Cavalry charges are a more important type of shock combat once forces close, with defensive advantages to more organized and well-equipped military formations. Apparently, the bad rep of Roman cavalry in the Republican period was due to two major defeats by Hannibal, but does not reflect the fact that they spent several hundred years as the dominant heavy cavalry in the region. Learn something new every day...

Sieges of major fortifications (2+ out of 5 possible levels) require reduction of the walls (breaches at least equal to the fortification level) to proceed. Armies can bring along siege units, but Romans can also build them on-site, tearing them down after the battle. Each legion can produce up to two siege engines in a siege. And some cities have their own internal siege engines, which can neutralize an equal quantity of attacking ones, but are usually lost on capture. Cool!

Cavalry cannot assault cities, even if they are breached (bonus if you get the pun). Leaders in a captured city are almost always eliminated after the siege, unless they get lucky. They will be luckier if the city has a sea adjacent to it. Pro-tip: if your Imperator is in a besieged city, get him out muy pronto.

There is a "Scorched Earth" rule in the game which is not active and is in place for "future scenario expansions". Can you say "Carthago delenda est", good neighbor? I knew ya could...

A construction panel lets you spend production from your provinces to produce specific units in specified cities, and also generic replacement points. Production varies with weather, national morale and a bunch of other considerations. The less the population supports you, the less you get from them.

There is a page of government options (SPQR, the "Senate and People of Rome"), which can affect your national morale, let you conduct diplomacy and the like depending on the scenario you have chosen.

The unit experience system has been overhauled to effect mostly assault and discipline factors, to reflect their importance to ancient militaries.

There are a slew of Decisions that can be applied to areas or regions, and represent diplomatic actions, plots, subterfuges, investments and other non-military efforts to improve one factions' standing in the area. Some of these are dependent upon previous events, like capturing an area or moving troops somewhere.

I'll fire up a larger scenario today and let you guys know how it goes.

There's no materials safety sheet for astatine. If there were, it would just be the word "NO", scrawled over and over again in charred blood. - Randall Munroe

One thing I'm interested in is how much of an emphasis the grand strategy elements have in AJE. So like on a scale from Birth of America to Pride of Nations with American Civil War and Rise of Prussia sitting somewhere in the middle. In my experience AACW and BoA worked really well, while RoP ended up being maybe a bit too much, though that may just be because I wasn't as familiar with that war going in. Pride of Nations was, needless to say, a bit of a mess and had way too many little things going on.

The problem in my mind is that the Ageod engine wasn't initially designed for fiddly grand strategy elements. Since then, every instance of adding them in has felt a bit tacked on and there was a definite breaking point beyond which the interface couldn't handle any more.

Finally, I'm pretty sure Rise of Prussia had some type of intercept order too. May have just been new with that release though.

Weather affects a large number of factors - movement, combat, supply, etc. and structures provide shelter from it. I think this is similar to WIA. Weather is based on regions (groups of areas), and takes the seasons into account. And they've added special weather events called "Alea", which are localized floods, heavy storms and the like which show up as map icons affecting particular locations.

What Gaius Julius really said was "Storm's comin'." Obvs.

Cavalry charges are a more important type of shock combat once forces close, with defensive advantages to more organized and well-equipped military formations. Apparently, the bad rep of Roman cavalry in the Republican period was due to two major defeats by Hannibal, but does not reflect the fact that they spent several hundred years as the dominant heavy cavalry in the region. Learn something new every day...

I feel like the Roman cavalry got its real bump from one of the early allies. I'd have to look that up, though, so you'll have to settle for my feelings.

Hypatian wrote:

Words... are a big deal.

Enix wrote:

The only way writers are going to get better is if they get some decent damned editing.

From the analysis they cited, allied cavalry troops were the reason citizens were eventually moved out of the cavalry business. So yeah, it was the tribals that really formed the spine of the later cavalries, but I think during the Republican period it was an officer-heavy corps of troops.

I've messed around a bit with the scenario I intend to play, but it's on a timetable and there's minimal guidance, so I have not yet dived in. Still trying to figure out how many troops it will take to put down Simon Bar Kochba, keep the rest of the East quiet, and still knock out that pretender in Gaul... I'm daunted... Daunted, I say!

There's no materials safety sheet for astatine. If there were, it would just be the word "NO", scrawled over and over again in charred blood. - Randall Munroe